'Whitey' Bulger's Defense Costs Top $3M

Documents filed in federal court show the costs of defending Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger have topped more than $3 million.

Documents submitted Friday show Bulger's defense lawyers have charged the government a little more than $2.7 million for their work. When the costs of experts, paralegal services and transcripts are added in, the total reaches slightly over $3 million.

The costs were included in a report to U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, who presided at Bulger's racketeering trial.

The 84-year-old Bulger spent 16 years on the run before being captured in 2011 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was convicted in August of playing a role in 11 murders while he led a violent gang. He's serving a life sentence in federal prison. He's appealing, so the legal costs are expected to go even higher.